The Splendor Falls Cheesecake Giveaway

No, I’m not giving away cheesecake.

Even better, I’m giving away an autographed first edition of Rosemary Clement Moore’s new YA novel, The Splendor Falls.

 And yes, there’s a cheesecake recipe.

With or without the cheesecake, The Splendor Falls is one delicious read.

Seventeen year old Sylvie Davis is a ballerina whose dreams are shattered by a broken leg, her father’s death, and her mother’s remarriage. Even vicodin and champagne fail to numb her pain.

Sylvie is less than thrilled about her mother’s honeymoon.  She’s even less  happy about leaving her apartment in Manhattan to spend two weeks at Bluestone Hill,  her father’s family estate in Alabama.

At Bluestone Hill, Sylvie faces  more than personal demons, she encounters the spirits of her ancestors’ past. But the ghosts in Alabama aren’t the only ones shrouded in mystery. Two handsome but enigmatic young men vie for Sylvie’s attention. Each has a secret. One is hellbent on a course which threatens to destroy Bluestone Hill. The other seeks to a protect the tenuous balance between the will of man and the force of nature.

Sylvie is attracted to both suitors, but must choose an alliance carefully. Her actions will either bring ruin or renewal to her father’s family. She draws upon the power within herself and the legacy of her birthright to reverse the wrongdoing of the past. Sylvie confronts her own pain and conquers her fears in the process.

Author Rosemary Clement Moore effectively combines elements of mystery, romance, and suspense in Splendor. She conjures a sparkling tale, full of wit and lush imagery.

“The ritual sound, full of potential, thick and opaque somehow, murky as the silt of a river bottom, hiding silent, swift things below. ”

I couldn’t put The Splendor Falls down. The mystery, hiding silent, drew me in. I’d bet my lucky charm, you’d enjoy it, too.

If you’d like a to win a copy of The Splendor Falls, write one sentence (up to twenty five words long) including the word “cheesecake” and “ghost.” Your sentence can be funny, spooky, poetic, or otherwise entertaining. Post your sentence as a comment below.

An impartial but cheesecake worthy judge will pick a winner. I’ll contact the winner by e-mail and announce the winner in one week on Tuesday, September 21st.  I’ll send the book by snail mail anywhere in the continental US.  Good luck!

Since Rosemary Clement Moore is an avowed cheesecake lover, here’s my recipe for Turtle Cheesecake Splendor:

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 cup butter

1 slightly beaten egg yolk

Filling:

5 (yes, Virginia, FIVE) 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (let stand until room temperature)

1/2 to 1 tsp. (your call)  almond extract

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

3 tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

4 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 whipping cream

Make crust: Combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg yolk and almond extract. Pat 1/3 of dough into the bottom of a buttered 9 inch springform pan. Bake (only the bottom part of the pan) crust in oven at 400 degrees for eight minutes. Cool. Attach side of springform pan to bottom and pat the rest of dough onto the  sides of the  pan. The dough should extend about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches all the way around the sides of the pan.

Make the creamy, dreamy filling: Beat cream cheese. Add almond extract. Mix in sugar, flour, and salt gradually. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each, just enough to blend the mixture. Stir in whipping cream. Pour the batter into the crust lined pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes. (Don’t open the door to check on the cheesecake!) Then reduce temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking for 55-60 minutes. (Center should only jiggle in the very center. Edges should be nice and puffy).

Remove from oven. Let cool on wire rack for 30 minutes before removing sides. Cheesecake may be refrigerated after cooled to room temperature. Before serving, top with homemade or storebought caramel sauce (I like homemade salted caramel sauce), milk and dark chocolate chips, and pecan bits.

Binge. Until you feel ill. Then stop. At least for awhile.